The purl bar looks like a small dash at the base of the stitch just below the needle.
The purl bar looks like a small dash at the base of the stitch just below the needle. It can hide by tucking itself up under the needle and lead you to believe you are looking at a knit stitch.The arch above the black line is what turns into the purl bar. Depending on whether you knit or purl, the arch will come towards you or move away from you forming the purl bar.
This image shows the purl bars just under the needle. Those bars appear to be wrapping the base of the stitch that is on the needle. Always pull down on the knitting to help isolate those purl bars so they are less likely to hide.